Playing the game i noticed that certain items i nolonger had to research to have access to in later game play (Note*** I do not mean continued gameplay but rather when starting a new game). I can understand xp rolling over in the manor of unlocking additional characters but i feel that the Science machine and alchemy machine loose their value as constructed items if they are rendered obsolete once a player has researched the tech tree once. I dont think i can recall any game ive played where after failure the tech treee to that point in game play was left open to use.
That being said, and not to be the masochist type of game player... but i do feel as though every new game should wipe the slate clean on the tech tree as though the player were going into the survival senario with nothing. It is after all a new game, but this game takes on that old adage of "if i knew then what i know now" and applies it to the game play. I feel it diminishes the experience by handing back to the player what they toiled to have accomplished to that point and there fore the subsequent playthroughs of the game are easier not because the player approached the game with a different mindset or experience, but because they could skip a portion of the game entirely and jump strait to making a spear and some pig houses.
A major part of the sense of enjoyment of core games is the sense of accomplishment in the efforts of the gameplay, and while allowing a player to move forward from scratch with their unlocks intact can be more player friendly or accessible, it tends to lead to a ramp down of the difficulty curve and can in some cases over simplify gameplay. like starting an rpg with the best weapons and armor and the game just not being the same level of a challenge.
Now the tie in of xp to science points or what have u and its role in character unlocks is not the same sort of issue. If the science points equate to xp, and it helps u unlock new players that would be fine, since each player would still start with nothing and only bring to the game play a new dynamic in their skill set or perk. A player would gain the added perk of being able to swap characters should they survive to research and build the tent, adding incentive and increasing the difficulty of the privilege that comes with xp and game survival knowhow.
THIS level of difficulty, which in essence is only the starter difficulty but without the permanent skill trees, may not be for all players... some may like to research once and play on with the skill for any future games, so perhaps an easy or regular mode... and a hard mode (or regular if an easy mode were implemented)... one where the skill tree resets each game in the harder mode so even with newly unlocked character the player must still approach the game as though it were their first time. Even with a familiar map, the player would still have to plot out a survival plan and weigh their science points to research say a weapon or a tool... it restores the falue of the finite resources again in game.
As a final point, even if what i wrote earlier were to be brushed aside... the skill tree should at least reset when a new world is being made then played as i feel of all times where the characters would have to find their bearings from scratch, wouldnt it be understandable that they have to rediscover the skill tree as they discover and explore this newly generated world unlike (though similar) to the last...???
Just sayin... half the challenge of the game is the survival to research new tools and items.